1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to bags, and more particularly to bags used to transport clubs and/or other accessories when practicing golf, and to the support element on the shoulder, referred to as a shoulder pad in what follows, and which are equipped with a shoulder strap or a carrying strap for such bags.
2. Description of the Background and Relevant Information
The type of bag referred to above is generally in the form of an elongated tube, which is more or less cylindrical, for holding clubs, and most often having pockets, on its exterior surface, for holding other accessories useful when golfing.
This type of bag, which serves to transport at least conventional golfing instruments over substantial distances, must be as practical as possible, so as to avoid excess fatigue for the carrier and the loss of concentration which can result from the carrying effort exerted by the golfer. Usually the bag is carried over short distances by means of a transport handle, and for longer distances, a strap connected at upper and lower points of the bag is used, the strap being situated along the same generatrix of the general cylinder which the bag usually forms, this strap overlapping the shoulder of the carrier.
For reasons of balancing the inclination of the bag on the carrier while walking, so that it is rendered as comfortable as possible, and for reasons of balancing the ultimate adaptation of the bag to the morphology of the person carrying the bag, it is conventional to provide the possibility of adjustment of the useful length of the carrying strap and/or the effective position of the lower connection point.
Furthermore, for the comfort of the person carrying the bag, it is conventional to provide a shoulder element at the upper portion of the carrying strap which may be padded if desired, and adapted to straddle the shoulder of the carrier so as to avoid excessively high contact pressures which quickly become uncomfortable and even painful. This shoulder pad can be affixed at a definitive position on the strap or on the contrary, be free to slide along the length thereof. This possible sliding, which, in principle, allows the position to be adjusted can however, occur progressively and in an undesirable manner during walking which can, in turn necessitate frequent stops for the readjustment of the position of the shoulder pad.
The adaptation of the useful length of the strap often occurs by means of a strap buckle apparatus with or without a tongue, cooperating with successive perforations provided in the strap, this buckle being connected at the lower connection point or adjacent thereto as is the case in the following patents: British 400,350; U.S. 3,521,689; U.S. 4,334,564; U.S. 2,711,201; U.S. 4,249,586; U.S. 2,072,258; U.S. 1,928,922; U.S. 1,570,510; U.S. 1,611,107; or at the upper point, as in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 1,271,784 or at an intermediate point between the upper and lower points as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,483.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,614, the same type of buckle apparatus is found, but the lower point can furthermore be varied by degrees, and likewise, the strap can be connected to the bag at an intermediate point between the upper and lower points with the possibility of sliding at this intermediate point which, furthermore, can be varied likewise by degrees.
Another possibility of varying the length of the strap by degrees is likewise offered by British Pat. No. 1,315,943, which avoids the use of a conventional buckle.
A more elaborate adjustment apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,009. A first lower strap is connected to the lower point and at an intermediate point on the bag, and a second upper strap is connected at an upper point and at an intermediate point of the lower strap by a movable buckle tongue apparatus which is displaceable both with respect to the lower strap by modifying the position of the connection point of the upper strap on the lower strap, and likewise displaceable along the upper strap making it possible to vary its length, which can likewise be varied by a buckle present on the upper strap.
In all of the examples which have just been described, and however complex their arrangements for optimizing the equilibrium of the bag on the shoulder of the carrier, at least one conventional buckle, or an equivalent thereof is found. Furthermore, this buckle is susceptible to being accidentally caught on the clothes of the carrier, and a dead portion of the strap (between the buckle and the free end of the strap) is permitted to create a needless obstruction which can lead to the loss of concentration of the golfer.
With respect to the adjustment in position of the shoulder pad on the strap, no satisfactory practical solution has been previously proposed that would ensure the stability of this adjustment while walking.
The present invention attempts to alleviate the carrier of all disadvantages associated with the known state of the art which has just been described, and at the same time ensures the desired equilibrium of the bag for its transport and an efficient and stable adjustment of the position of the shoulder pad with respect to the strap. For this purpose, the shoulder pad has a strap which is connected at its respective ends at an upper point and a lower point of the bag and is characterized by the fact that the shoulder bag is in the form of a pocket which is elongated in the general direction of the strap and that in this pocket adjustments are positioned to adjust the length of the strap, the adjustment means being adapted to slide on the exterior of the pocket, between the pocket and at least one of the adjustment points of the strap on the bag.